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Apple's new M1-powered MacBook Air gained Spotlight, Dictation, and Do Not Disturb function keys

This is a bit of a strange one.
Oliver Haslam
10 Nov 2020

M1 Powered Macbook Air KeyboardSource: Apple

What you need to know

  • Apple's new M1-powered MacBook Air has some new function keys.
  • Keys for Spotlight, Dictation, and Do Not Disturb are included.
  • Launchpad and keyboard brightness keys have made way.

Apple announced the first MacBook Air to be powered by Apple silicon today and it's already shaping up to be a great little notebook. We're also starting to learn more about it as we all do a little digging and there's an interesting tidbit in relation to its keyboard – it has some new keys.

Well, kind of. As spotted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the new M1-powered MacBook Air has done away with the Launchpad and keyboard brightness keys and replaced them with keys for Spotlight, Dictation, and Do Not Disturb. Despite there already being a perfectly good keyboard shortcut for Spotlight at the very least.

The new MacBook Air has updated keyboard function keys, adding Spotlight, Dictation, and Do Not Disturb - replaces Launchpad and Keyboard brightness. pic.twitter.com/1BM6wTWQZh

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) November 10, 2020

The loss of the Launchpad key is something a full 100% of people will never even notice – I defy anyone to prove to me that they use Launchpad – but the removal of keyboard brightness keys might impact a few people here and there. Still, I assume Apple has some usage numbers to back this kind of thing up.

I'd love to know what those numbers are, though. As for the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, that thing has the infamous Touch Bar in lieu of buttons anyway.

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